Winter Loving

You may believe that spring is the mating season but when it comes to men, they are more frisky in the winter!

A study in the journal Perception conducted in 2004-5 found that men find women more attractive in the coldest months of the year.

Men were asked to rate the attractiveness of photos of women, one showing only the women’s face and the other showing their bodies, either covered up or in swimwear, every three months throughout the year. The study found that while the scores for pretty faces remained the same throughout the year, the overall attractiveness was higher in the winter.

When so much exposed skin is revealed in hot, sunny weather, men become instinctively more critical whereas in the winter less skin is on show, therefore it becomes more novel and arousing to look at.

From the National Statistics Office, more babies are conceived in December with 11th December being the most fertile of the year, with more babies being conceived on that day than any other day. The most common birthday is September 16th, 40 weeks after 11th December.

This is due to sperm being healthier in winter and early spring than in the summer. A study conducted in Israel studied samples from 6000 men being treated for infertility and found that there was an increase in the number of sperm, with faster swimming speeds, and fewer abnormalities in sperm made during the winter.

The research found that these men produced about 70 million sperm per millilitre of sperm during the winter of which, 5% of these sperm had faster motility or swimming speed which improves a couple’s chance of becoming pregnant. This was compared with sperm made during spring which was 60 million sperm per millilitre, of which only 3% were fast swimmers.

The difference in temperature and length of exposure to daylight may play a part in these changes.

It is also thought that couples have more sex during the winter months because there is less to do and they spend less time outside which may explain why more babies are conceived in the winter months.

So there is no better time to cuddle up to the one you love and enjoy some winter loving!